KU to wear alternate adidas camo uniforms in Big 12 tournament

By Jesse Newell     Feb 28, 2013

The adidas custom impact camo uniforms that the Kansas men's basketball team could wear at least one game during the Big 12 tournament in March 2013.

The Kansas men’s basketball team will be wearing alternate camo uniforms from adidas for at least one game in this year’s Big 12 tournament, KU coach Bill Self confirmed during a weekly press conference Thursday.

Photos of the uniforms, which include a blue-and-white camouflage pattern on the shorts, were released on adidashoops’ Twitter account Thursday.

“We agreed with adidas several months ago to sport that uniform as part of their marketing campaign in the Big 12 tournament,” Self said. “Now, how much we wear them in the Big 12 tournament will probably depend on how we play in them or whatever. But we will sport them in the Big 12 tournament at some point in time.”

KU officials said that no money was involved in the Jayhawks’ decision to wear the uniforms.

“Sometimes, you’ve got to be a team player, and adidas has certainly been good to us, there’s no question,” Self said. “And this is something that was important to them, that they are able to market it with some other schools that they feel that can help them in this area. Certainly, we’re going to do that to try to help them, but it’s not going to go any further past the Big 12 tournament.”

Kansas University adidas camo alternate jersey uniform tops from the front.

Self was non-committal on whether KU would wear the uniforms for more than one game in the Big 12 tourney.

Of wearing the alternate jerseys for a game or two, he said, “I don’t think it’s that big of a deal in the Big 12 tournament.”

“As everyone here knows, Kansas tradition and history should be what is promoted in our look, and we’ve done that for years,” Self said. “But this is the one game or whatever that we will make that exception for adidas.”

When asked what he thought of the uniforms, Self said he hadn’t seen them in a while, but that he didn’t think as much of them as the typical home white jerseys that the Jayhawks would wear as a higher-ranked team in the Big 12 tournament.

KU’s players had mixed reaction to the alternate uniforms.

Kansas University adidas camo alternate jersey uniform tops.

“I don’t think too much of ’em. They are jerseys at the end of the day. You can’t go out there with no clothes on,” KU senior guard Elijah Johnson said with a smile. “That’s all that really is. When Coach says, ‘Put ’em on and go play,’ we’ll put em on and go play, whether it’s a practice jersey, a new jersey or old jersey. It’s about the game and not how we look out there.”

Added KU senior Travis Releford: “I’ve seen a few pictures of them. I think they’re all right.”

A petition started by KU fans on the White House’s website to not allow the uniforms was removed Thursday afternoon for violating “Terms of Participation.”

Kansas University adidas alternate uniform camo white shorts.

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